Door-operating mechanism



A ril 22,1930.

S. B. HASELTINE DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed June 10,

1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 22, 1930.

S. B. HASELTINE' Filed June 10,

F .5 19 F .4 927' 15 L9 DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Patented Apr. 22, 193% metres srarss PATENT ori ice STACY 1B. HASELTINE, OF CHICAGO, :ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB 'IO W. H. MINER, INO., OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE DOOR-OPERATING MECHANISM Application filed June 10,

This invention relates't-o door operating mechanisms.

One object'of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient door operating mechanism for forcing the door when partly closed to tightly closed position, for holding the, same closed, and for forcing the door partially open to facilitate the complete opening thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door operating mechanism especially adapted for swingingly supported doors of refrigerator cars, including an operating member reciprocably mounted on one of the doors for sliding movement in a lengthwise direction and having means at the opposite ends thereof and rigid therewith, cooperating with keepers fixed to the door frame to force the door in opening and closing direc- 29 tions, in conjunction with means for elevating and automatically locking said operating member in elevated position so that the lower end thereof does not project below the bottom edge of the door and will clear the usual car loading platforme Other objects of my invention will more clearly appear from' the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a refrigerator car showing my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale, partly broken away, corresponding substantially to the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing the position of the parts of the mechanism when the door is tightly closed. Fig. 3. is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing the parts in the position that they assume when the door is either in the position when partly opened, or the position just prior to forcing the same tightly closed. Fig. 4. is a vertical, sectional view of the actuating lever and securing member on the line 1& of Fig. 1, r and Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1, partly broken away, showing the operating lever in vertical position and holding the operating bar raised.

In said drawings, the side of the car is shown as provided with a door frame 10 and 1926. Serial No. 115,062.

two pivoted doors 11 and 12. The doors have the usual beveled meeting edges and the cusrectangular cross section, and of a length.

somewhat greater than the height of the door so that the ends of said bar project above and below the top and bottom .edgesof the door 11. The lower end of the bar A is provided with a projection 15, the outer face of which is beveled as shown at 16, and such projection is provided with a lateral extension 17 which has an outer inclined engaging face lying. in a plane coincident with the beveled face and an inner inclined engaging face 170 extending parallel with the outer face of the extension 17. The upper end of the bar A is provided with an angular end portion 18 having an inner inclined engaging face 19, the angular portion 18 being provided with a lateral extension 20, the inner and outer faces of which are disposed in parallel relation'and inclined at the same angle as the angular portion 18.

The guide brackets 13-13 are two in number and are fixed to the door 11 adjacent the top and bottom edges thereof. The two guide brackets are of identically the same design. Each of these guide brackets comprises a plate'like section 21 and a strap member 22, the strap member and plate like section of each guide bracket being secured together by bolts or other suitable means extending through the same and fixed to the door. The guide brackets slidably mount the bar A for vertical movement in opposite directions.

The keepers CC are two in number, one

of the same being disposed adjacent the top of the door opening and the other being dis posed adjacent the bottom of the door opening; said keepers being so located that they will aline with the ends of the operating bar A when the door is in partly closed position. The lower keeper C is provided with a back wall 23, and preferably formed integrally with the back wall 23 is a front wall 24 which is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the door frame, the inner face of said front wall 24 providing a camming surface 25 adapted to coact with the beveled face 16 of bar A, said keeper also being provided with means therein providing a wall 26 disposed parallel to the camming surface 25 of the front wall 24- and defining a guide slot for the reception of the lateral extension 17 on the lower end of thebarA. Said lower keeper is suitably secured tothe door frame by bolts or the like, extended through flanges on the keeper, and one of said flanges is extended so as to project to the left beyond the center line of the door opening and has a pivoted latch mounte'd thereon cooperating with a wear plate secured to the lower right hand corner of the door 12 in the usual'manner as shown. The upper keeper C is secured to the frame above the top edge of the door by suitable bolts, and is provided with an inclined cam surface 27, which merges into a lower vertical portion. 28, the cam face 27 being adapted to cooperate with the inclined rear face 19 of the angular portion '18.

One side of the upper keeper is provided with a front wall spaced from the face 27 and extending in parallel relation therewith, said front wall in conjunction with the cam face 27 providing a cam slot 29 adapted to cooperate with the lateral extension 20 upon the an gular portion 18 of the bar A. The front wall terminates as indicated at 30 to permit free entrance and. removal of the angular portion 18 from the keeper.

The actuating means D are provided for imparting longitudinal reciprocable movement to the bar A. Said means include a hollow two parthousing member secured to the door by suitable bolts and having aback wall 31, a front wall 32 spaced from the rear wall, and bottom and end walls, the bar A extending through the bottom wall of the housing" and adapted to have sliding movement with respect thereto. Pivot-ally mounted upon the front wall 32 of the housing is a lever 33, said lever being permitted swinging movement by omission of a portion of the end wall of the housing, and said lever is provided with a fixed pin or boss 35 spaced inwardly from the pivotal connection of the lever with the hous ing toward the handle of said lever, and is adapted to provide an eccentric element for connection. with the bar A. Mounted on the bar A is a bracket 36, said bracket comprising a member rivetec to the bar A and having a transversely extending slot 37, said slot being provided with latching offsets 38 and 39 at its ends. The pin 35 fixed to the lever is arranged in the slot 37 and operates therein during movement of the mechanism to elevate and lower the bar A.

Secured to the door 11 is a bracket 40 car rying a pivoted latch a1 having a shoulder 1 thereon adapted to lock the lever 33 in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1, said latch being overbalanced on its inner side so as to be normally urgedoutwardly andpermitting said lever to ride over the same when moved downwardly, after which the shoulder on the latch prevents upward movement of the lever until pressed inwardly to permit saidlever to pass.- Said lever and latch are provided with openings adapted for the reception of the usual sealing member.

In operation assuming the doors to be closed as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and it is desired to open the same, the securing member is first removed to release the handle of the lever 33, after which said handle is swung upwardly in a clockwise direction. Movement of the handle of the lever 33 in this manner, due to the pin and slot connection between said lever and operating member A, brings about elevation of said member, causing bearing engagement of the angular member 18 upon the cam surface 27 of the upper keeper, and of the inclined face 170 of the extension 17 of the lower end of the bar upon the wall 26, thereby forcing the door 12 in an opening direction. Continuation of this movement completely withdraws the ends of the bar A from the upper and lower keepers, and raises the lower end of the bar above the bottom edge of the door 12. When the movement of the mechanism has progressed to this extent, the pin 35 on the lever will have traversed the slot 37 until the lever 33 is in substantially vertical position, causing the pin 35 to enter the oifset 39, which under the influence of weight of the bar A prevents accidental reverse movement of the lever 33 and locks the same in vertical position and maintains the bar A in elevated relation with respect to the door with the bottom end of said bar above the bottom edges of the door so as to afford proper clearance of the door with respect to a loading platform. When it is desired to close the doors, the door 11 is first moved to nearly closed position, and the door 12 swung as far closed as may be easily accomplished, which will bring the ends of the bar A in alinement with the upper and lower keepers. The lever is then swung in a counter-clockwise direction, being automatically released, and the pin 35 traversing the slot 37 effects downward movement of the operating member A, which causes bearing engagement between the beveled surface 16 and the cam surfacc 25 the lower end of the door, and between the outer face of the lateral extension and the cam face of the front wall of the slot 29 at the upper portion of the door, this movement being continued until the door is fully closed, which will bring the lever 33 into proper position with respect to the pivoted member ll so that a securing member may be applied through the apertures in said member and said handle, if desired.

By the above described arrangement, it should be noted that means are provided for shifting door operating member A vertically with respect to the door 12, which movement due to the cooperation between the angular end portions of the member A and the keepers, results in opening and closing movement of the door. In addition it should be noted that when the door 12 is being opened the bar A travels upwardly so as to retract the lower end thereof to a position above the bottom of the door so that there can be'no possibility of interference of the end of the bar with a load ing platform. The lever means serve not only to supply the power for shifting the bar to effect opening and closing movement of the door, but also operate to automatically lock the operating member A in elevated position when the door is opened, release of said looking means being readily effected by turning the lever in direction to move said bar downwardly when closing the door.

While I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out the invention, the same is merely illustrative, and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim 1. In a door operating mechanism of the character described, the combination with a door frame and a pivoted door; keeper means secured to said door frame adjacent the top and bottom edges thereof, having inclined gnideways thereon; a continuous operating bar mounted on said door for reciprocation lengthwise and adapted to engage with the guideways of said keepers to effect opening movement of said door upon upward reciprocation of said member, and closing movement upon downward reciprocation of said member; actuating means for reciprocating said member in an upward direction so as to elevate the same and retract the lower end thereof from its projecting position below the bottom edge of the door; and means thrown into action by operator upon movement of said actuating means to bring said member to said elevated position for automatically locking said member in sald elevated position.

2. In a door operating mechanism of the character described, the combination with a door frame and a door; of keeper means arranged on said door frame beneath said door, said keeper means being provided with cam faces; a continuous bar operating member mounted for vertical movement on said door and adapted to be projected below the lower edge thereof and having keeper engaging members thereon adapted to co-operate with the cam faces to effect inward movement of the door when the operating member is moved downwardly, and outward movement of the door when said operating member" is moved upwardly, thereby effecting opening movement of said door; actuating means for raising and lowering said operating member to project the keeper engaging member below the door in co-operating relation with the keeper, and to raise said operating member to effect opening of the door and to elevate said keeper engaging member entirely within the confines of the door; and means cooperating with said operating member automatically operableupon movement of said actuating means when the same brings said bar member to said elevated position for sustaining said bar member in said elevated position.

3. In a door operating mechanism of the character described, the combination with a door frame and door; of a continuous operating bar member reciprocably mounted on said door; keeper means arranged adjacent the top and bottom edges of the door, cooperating with the opposite ends of said bar, said keeper means and bar being provided with co-operating engaging means adapted to effect an opening movement of said door when the bar is raised, and closing movement of the door when the bar is lowered; lever means for lifting said bar member and bringing the same to an elevated position with the lower end above the lower edge of the door; and co-operating gravity control catch means on said lever and bar automatically operable under the influence of the weight of said operating bar to support and lock said bar in raised position when elevated to clear the lower edge of the door to prevent accidental descent of said operating bar member.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a door frame and a pivoted door; of keeper means on the door frame above and below the door; an operating bar member reciprocably mounted upon said door and adapted to cooperate with the keeper means upon the door frame above and below the door, to effect opening and closing movement of the door upon reciprocation thereof, said operating member being adapted to be projected below the bottom edge of said door to co-operate with the keeper below the door to close the same and adapted to be raised to open said door; means for operating said bar, including a member on the bar provided with a transversely extending slot having an offset therein, and a member pivotally connected to said door and provided with a projection working in said slot, said project-ion being eccentric to the pivotal axis of said lever movement of said lever serving to elevate the operating bar member and retract the projecting end thereof, and said projection engaging said offset to prevent accidental descent of said member, said ofiset being held engaged with the projection by the Weight of said bar member.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 25th day of May, 1926.

STACY B. HASELTINE. 

